In his first New Year’s address to the French people Sunday, just before the New Year was rung in, the French president, Emmanuel Macon, said that he will continue to pursue the reform agenda that he introduced in 2017 in 2018.

By Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, RIAC member

It all began three months ago to the day, in the Chinese town of Xiamen. During a news conference following the BRICS Summit, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin proposed the use of international peacekeepers under auspices of the United Nations in the east of Ukraine.

The European Commission is employing double standards against Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland with the procedure it plans to initiate before the European Court on the issue of the mandatory migrant quotas, said László Trócsányi, Minister of Justice, after meeting his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Ziobro, in Warsaw.

In the new leadership line-up following the recent 19th Party Congress, Yang Jiechi (杨洁篪), deserves special attention as the new arbiter of China’s foreign affairs. His promotion to the Politburo, with the prospect of becoming Vice-Premier taking overall charge of foreign affairs across multiple portfolios, restores the top diplomat’s status to the level once enjoyed by his former mentor Qian Qichen (钱其琛). Yang also paved the way for a more dynamic and open public diplomacy that has been used to great effect, particularly by Xi Jinping.